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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · roll · pitch · bark · rash · capital · kick · track

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. track — a path
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — a song
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. roll — a list
  9. capital — a city
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bass — the fish
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rash — a series
  16. kick — in football
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. roll — a cake
  20. capital — money
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com